| Location
& History
Every history of Texas must include Nacogdoches. For
more than two centuries, it was a pawn in French-Spanish imperial
rivalries. As the capital of East Texas, Nacogdoches led in the
Texas independence movements and was the seat of three republics
before the successful Lone Star Republic. The city, therefore, flies
nine flags rather than the traditional six flags.
The university tradition in Nacogdoches dates back
to 1845 when the Republic of Texas chartered Nacogdoches University,
which closed in 1904. The movement to replace the Old University
succeeded in 1917 when the state of Texas decided to create a teachers’
college “east of the 96th meridian.” Nacogdoches won
the prize. On September 18, 1923, the founding president, Alton
W. Birdwell, opened the college in temporary quarters. The college
moved to the present campus, on the homestead of Texas statesman
Thomas J. Rusk, in May 1924.
SFA pioneered higher education in East Texas. The
first 30 years, while difficult, were years in which the college
became a source of regional pride and hope. The state did not fund
the Rusk Library Building until 1926 and did not fund any other
buildings until after World War II; however, generous donations
allowed the college to have a gymnasium and other essential buildings.
In the Depression, the East Texas region rallied to support SFA.
By the end of Birdwell’s presidency, the academic programs
were on a solid foundation and were expanding into graduate offerings.
By 1939, SFA was the largest employer in the county.
Enrollment, however, plummeted after the outbreak of World War II.
Dr. Paul Boynton, named SFA’s second president in 1942, faced
problems even more dire than the Depression. During the war, Boynton
saved the college by recruiting a Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps
training camp; after the war, SFA met the flood of returning veterans
by procuring army surplus buildings for temporary housing and classrooms.
In 1958, Dr. Ralph W. Steen, a highly respected Texas historian,
became the third president of SFA. Dr. Steen’s 18-year presidency
was a time of unprecedented change. SFA’s enrollment climbed
from 2,017 to 11,293, and the annual operating budget increased
twelve fold, as did the value of the physical plant. Steen brought
SFA through the civil rights movement and integration, the free
speech and anti-war demonstrations of the Vietnam era, the sexual
revolution, and the shift of the student body from a rural to an
urban majority. He helped to create a climate in which positive
change could occur. Because he believed first-rate citizens should
have a first-rate education, he added undergraduate, graduate and
doctoral programs and, in 1969, changed the status of the college
to “Stephen F. Austin State University,” with seven
schools and its own Board of Regents.
Dr. William R. Johnson, the fourth president of SFA (1976-1990),
faced statewide retrenchments in Texas education. Many problems
that faced President Johnson also occupied the attention of the
national academic community: new demographics, changing tax structures,
competition from regional campuses of flagship universities, rapid
turnover in faculty positions, new student and societal expectations,
new national priorities and changing funding formulas. Subsequent
presidents and interim presidents at SFA have all addressed these
concerns: Donald Bowen (1990-1991), William J. Brophy (1991-1992),
Dan Angel (1992-1999), Roland Smith (1999-2001) and Tito Guerrero
(2001 to date). Recognizing the impact that planning could have
on the institution’s health, Dr. Angel initiated an endowment
drive that raised $37,830,83 in pledges from over 3,500 private
donors. Dr. Guerrero, while continuing to secure endowments, has
challenged the faculty and staff to meet the future with more effective
and creative leadership. As Stephen F. Austin State University prepared
for its 80th anniversary, it not only reflected on its rich past
but also forged ahead on a strategic plan to make itself a stronger
and more vibrant resource for higher education in East Texas. In
President Guerrero’s words, “None of our goals will
succeed if we are not a university where students can get an excellent
education and a superior preparation for lifelong learning, a productive
career and civic engagement.”
Campus
The main campus includes 360 acres, part of the original homestead of Thomas J.
Rusk, early Texas patriot and United States senator. In addition, the university maintains
a 642-acre agricultural research center for beef, poultry and swine production and an
equine center; an 18.7-acre experimental forest in southwestern Nacogdoches County
and a 25.3-acre forestry field station on Lake Sam Rayburn.
In an impressive setting of pine trees and natural beauty, the university has some 28
major instructional buildings and 19 residence halls and apartments, representing an
investment of approximately $500 million. In 1999 a new Science Research Center
was developed on a 15.8-acre tract of land on Highway 259 approximately 5 miles
from the main campus to support the growing master’s programs in biotechnology and
environmental science. Recent construction includes four new broiler houses operated
by the Center for Applied Poultry Studies and Research, an expanded and renovated
press box at Homer Bryce Stadium, a new athletic training facility and a new Human
Services Building, which opened in spring 2004. Construction under way or planned
totals nearly $107 million. The university broke ground in 2004 for a $35.4 million
renovation and expansion of the University Center and adjacent parking garage. In
addition, a $17.5 million project consisting of a four-story residence hall and detached
parking garage is scheduled to be completed and ready for students to move into by
January 2006. Also planned are a $22 million student recreation center and a $32
million residence hall-parking complex.
By balancing a program of new construction with one of ongoing renovation of
older structures, the institution has created an attractive, modern and functional living
and learning environment for its students and a center of intellectual and cultural
enhancement for its region.
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